According to a report by ESPN’s Jayson Stark, the Philadelphia Phillies have signed infielder Kevin Frandsen and pitcher Pat Misch to minor-league deals today.

The Phillies also announced the team has released pitcher Scott Mathieson.

Frandsen, 29, hit .303 with four home runs and 40 RBIs in 77 games with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs last season.

He was suspended 50 games for violation of Minor League Baseball’s Drug Policy after testing positive for Ritalin.

Misch, a 29-year-old left-hander, went 8-9 with a 4.00 ERA in 22 starts with Triple-A Buffalo last season.

Mathieson, 27, was 2-2 with a 3.28 ERA in 30 games (12 starts) with the IronPigs last season.

According to phillies.com, the righty, who was a combined 1-4 with a 6.75 ERA in 15 games over three years with the Phillies, is pursuing opportunities in Asia.

You would think Phillies Assistant General Manager Chuck LaMar would be riding high as the Lehigh Valley IronPigs make their first Triple-A playoff appearance and the Double-A Reading Phillies are also in the postseason.

But something caused Lamar, the person who oversees the Phillies minor league operations, to tender his resignation with the Phillies. People around the team reacted with surprise at the departure.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that LaMar as recently as last week was enthusiastic about the team’s minor-league system.

“A lot of teams want to say they have the best arrangement in baseball, but we do have it here,” LaMar told the newspaper. “From Lehigh Valley to Reading to Lakewood and the spring-training facility in Clearwater, it is just a fantastic setup.”

LaMar is a former general manager of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Placido Polanco was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sports hernia retroactive to Aug. 7, according to a report on phillies.com.

The Philadelphia Phillies want to give Polanco a few more days to rest the injury, which means he could be activated as early as Monday against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies called up right-hander Michael Schwimer from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Polanco’s spot on the 25-man roster.

Polanco said he has ruled out surgery, which the Phillies said was an option last week.

CSNPhilly’s Jim Salisbury is reporting that the Philadelphia Phillies have signed pitcher Aaron Heilman to a minor league contract. Heilman had been released by the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

The right-hander is a nine-year veteran that has pitched with the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets in addition to Arizona. He is 4-1 in 2011, albeit with a 6.88 ERA for the Diamondbacks.

Heilman will likely step in to the vacant spot on the Lehigh Valley IronPigs roster created when Jason Grilli opted out of his contract for an opportunity to pitch for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Phillies have also reportedly signed infielder Steve Singleton, who was released earlier this week from the Rochester Red Wings (Minnesota Twins organization). Singleton will report to the team’s Class A affiliate in Lakewood.

PITTSBURGH (AP) – June 4, 2011 (WPVI) —
John Mayberry Jr. was back in Pittsburgh as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies 24 hours after joining Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Mayberry was recalled Saturday morning when Ross Gload was placed on paternity leave. Mayberry, an outfielder, had started the 13 previous games for Philadelphia prior to Friday, when the Phillies activated Shane Victorino from the disabled list.

Mayberry arrived in Charlotte, N.C., about 4 p.m. Friday and went 1 for 4 with a run in the Iron Pigs’ 4-1 win. Saturday morning, Lehigh Valley manager Ryne Sandberg called with the news he was rejoining the Phillies. Mayberry, hitting .231 in 45 games with Philadelphia, was first seen in the clubhouse not long after 4 p.m. Saturday.

(Copyright ©2011 WPVI-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies have recalled left-handed pitcher Mike Zagurski from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Zagurski was promoted Tuesday. He fills the roster spot opened when the Phillies optioned right-hander Vance Worley to Lehigh Valley after Monday’s game against Washington.

Zagurski has appeared in two games for Philadelphia this season, allowing a run in 1 1-3 innings. He was 1-0 with nine saves in nine opportunities and a 1.88 ERA in 14 games for Lehigh Valley.

Worley was 2-1 with a 3.75 ERA in six games, four of them starts, for Philadelphia. In his last appearance, he gave up eight runs and 12 hits in three innings Sunday against the Mets.

Philadelphia pitching coach Rich Dubee said Kyle Kendrick would take Worley’s place in the rotation for Saturday’s game in Pittsburgh.

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